Wednesday, 20 May 2015

Haul | Beauty shopping with the girls

Last Saturday I had the pleasure to meet in person two of my blogging friends Pam (Pam Stuff and Things) and Brenda (Brenda Busy Bee), they're as lovely as I thought they would be!

Three beauty obsessed women in one place? Of course there had to be a bit of shopping done :)

We met in Guildford which is a fantastic town to shop for beauty as there are all the shops/counters you might want to visit, all within walking distance. We were very excited to shop together, it was so much fun and I hope we can repeat that soon :)

I didn't have any shopping list with me, I just knew I wanted to visit KIKO shop which I've never been to before and Nars counter. I set myself a budget and then just went with the flow:)

KIKO was the first shop we visited after a bit of chit chat over a coffee and we spent there long time, debating over eyeshadows, blushes and lipsticks, so many beautiful things to see, touch and swatch.

I am an eyeshadow junkie so, of course, I had to get some, but I decided to go for something a bit different from what I already have and bought two Water Eyeshadows, 213-Dark Slate Green and 219-Flamingo Pink and Pigment Loose Eyshadow in 10-Light Taupe. I'm very impressed with these eyeshadows and can't wait to create makeup looks with them. I also decided to get one of Velvet Mat Lipsticks because the packaging is just stunning and the girls recommended them, I chose shade602-Natural Rose and I love it!

Now I've got some KIKO products and had a feel of many others in the shop I will be definitely adding to my collection.

Then we visited Boots and Superdrug, I didn't have anything in mind but once we started wandering around makeup stands some products just jumped into my basket :)

How could I pass on the real bargain and not to get the Real Techniques Sculpting Set when it was only £13.99! And I'm so glad I got these brushes as they're really great and if you're wondering why bristles of the fan brush are yellow-ish, it's because I had to try it immediately after arriving home before taking any pictures :)

I've seen on Instagram that MUA released recently some new liquid highlighters and I wanted to check them out. Once we swatched them, the shade Oyster landed in our baskets because it's stunning and so affordable! Going with the glowing theme we three fall in love with this shimmering brick from Collection Gorgeous Glow in the shade 1. It's a gorgeous peachy pink blush/highlighter and a total steal!

Last but not least I decided to try the new range by BarryM and picked the Sunset Daylight Curing Top Coat and nail polish in I've Been Pinking. I'm yet to try them but I hope they will last on my nails much longer than a regular nail polish.

Then we visited different department stores, Jo Malone boutique where I've fallen in love with the Peony and Blush Suede fragrance and the super cute Kiehl's shop where I bought the Midnight Recovery Eye cream . The eye cream feels great and I hope it will make my under eye area look 10 years younger :) I also got a sample of the Midnight Recovery Serum and I'm really enjoying it.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the Nars counter was on my agenda because I really wanted to get the new All Day Luminous Foundation. I was matched to the shade Deauville which is quite yellow toned but after blending matches my skin perfectly. I let the lady at the counter to apply the foundation to my entire face, big mistake!, and I have to say that it didn't look good. While the shade is perfect, the coverage is great and it feels very lightweight on the skin, it accentuates any dry patches like crazy. I'm going now through a very strange phase with my skin which is dry, peeling and just doesn't look nice. But as I normally have oily/combination skin I decided to take the risk and bought the foundation. I've applied it couple of times at home using Beauty Blender and it still clings to dry patches and looks very un-attractive so I'd say, if your skin is on the drier site, stay clear from this foundation. I just hope my skin recovers soon and I will be able to use it.

So this is it, all my shopping done in Guildford, I wasn't too bad was I? And most importantly I sticked to my original budget which is great!

I know reading about beauty hauls is really enjoyable so you're now for a treat as you can head to Pam's and Brenda's blogs to see what they bought on Saturday as we decided to post our hauls on the same day as a form of a collab :)

Have you tried anything from the beauty bits I bought? What beauty products did you buy recently?

You girls did some serous shopping, gutted I couldn't come but looking forward to the next one :D! So glad you finally got to try KIKO and I can't way to see what you bought in action. I'm also thinking of buying the Midnight Recovery Eye cream so I can't way tot hear your thoughts on it. I've also been looking at the new Barry M polishes so I can't way to see if they actually last longer on your nails x

It was so nice to be able to finally meet you and I had such a lovely day with you two girls! Really looking forward to the next one :) I hope your skin gets back to normal soon so you can fully enjoy the NARS foundation. Have you tried it with a moisturising primer (Smashbox) underneath? :) x

What a fun shopping trip - you got some great stuff! I love Real Techniques brushes. I've never seen this particular collection of brushes, but I would definitely be interested in all three of them. That fan brush looks really nice!

This is such an amazing haul! Great picks. I've the same problem with my skin right now than you have, I have combination skin but it has been so dry lately and it's really annoying when you don't really know what to do. i bought the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate a few weeks ago and I'm glad I also got the little tester because it actually dries my cheeks even more :(. I especially like the products you picked up from Kiko :)x